Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The Dream of 2008 Is Alive In My Kitchen

Remember 2008? Can you believe that was 5 years ago! Well, back in 2008, the vegan blogosphere was all aflutter with love for the Isa and Terry's Chickpea Cutlet from Veganomicon. Quick trivia question! Anyone remember when Veganomicon was released?

If you said "November 2007," you would be correct. So it makes sense that the chickpea cutlet recipe was all the rage in early 2008. I was on the chickpea cutlet love bandwagon. I posted about it here and here and here (and I even included a recipe for Curried Pattypan Squash & "Chicken" Saute Over Quinoa using chickpea cutlets).

Anyway, in an effort to gain back some of my lost youth (I was still in my late 20s in 2008!), I decided to take it back to the old school with Chickpea Cutlets this week:

These meaty cutlets are made with mashed chickpeas, gluten flour, and spices. And they're just as toothsome as any pre-made plant meat. I smothered this one with some onion gravy that I'd been saving in my freezer. Yes, gravy freezes beautifully in case you've ever wondered.

Ah, chickpea cutlets... They were the Coconut Bacon of their day. I still make them on occasion now, and like Sal said, I'm amazed at how easy they are to put together. In my head they're a more intensive dish, but they're basically as easy to make as falafel. They're so good, and sometimes it's nice to have an obvious "entree." Your plate looks like a delicious batch of comfort!

And your title got me so excited! Only 3 weeks until we'll be living the dream of the 90's!

5 years ago I was graduating from architecture school and had just gone vegetarian, almost exactly. i bought vegan with a vengeance at the U of A campus book store and was instantly in love with Isa and everything she does. that is when i got exposed to vegan blogs, scouring the internet for information about my new choices. it only took a few months until i took the plunge into veganism, and i still think it was the best decision i've ever made. i think i got a copy of veganomicon for my birthday that year, but i have never made those cutlets. i must try!

I didn't go vegetarian until 2011, so I was late getting that cutlet memo! But a long-time vegan friend of mine gave me he recipe (before I bought the cookbook after transitioning to vegan), and it was an immediate favorite. I still make it pretty regularly.

2008 seems like such a long time ago! I hadn't gotten into running yet and was still eating animals. I didn't know myself at all back then!

My name is Bianca ...

About Me

I'm a 9-year vegan, 19-year vegetarian from the Mid-South, not too far from the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. And that means cornbread, butter beans, and collard greens.
These days, I live in Memphis. Check out my cookbook — Cookin' Crunk. It's filled with yummilicious veganized soul food and country classics.